Honestly, I just don’t wear a kilt if it’s too hot. Kilts and their associated tweed or barathea jackets evolved in the much cooler, wetter, climate of the Highlands so I think it’s reasonable to save them for that kind weather, rather than trying to adapt the garment for climates it’s unsuitable for.
Of course this limits someone like myself, living in Southern California, to winter and early spring but I see no reason to wear a kilt when it’s 96F like it was last weekend. Better to stick to cotton shorts.
I remember a thread a while back where someone was wearing tights under their kilt because they lived somewhere like Montana and it got so bitterly cold that they risked damaging the skin of their legs in a kilt. I just have to wonder why it’s so important to go to such an extreme to wear the wrong clothing for the climate?
Even the Scottish regiments eventually moved on from wearing kilts in combat for just the reasons I’ve mentioned (trench and chemical warfare in WWI demonstrated many drawbacks of the kilt in battle). They kept it for dress uniforms and that seems to be a happy medium.
Descendant of the Gillises and MacDonalds of North Morar.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks